Scaling Data and Engineering Capabilities for a Leading Digital-First Bank
How Teksands Helped a $9 Billion Fintech Leader Drive Innovation, Optimize Payment Systems, and Meet Diversity Hiring Goals
Client Overview
For a $9 billion financial institution at the forefront of digital banking in India, Teksands rapidly scaled data and engineering capabilities while actively supporting the client's diversity hiring goals. Our efforts enabled the client to drive data-driven innovation, maintain a competitive edge, and build a diverse workforce that reflected their commitment to inclusion in a fast-evolving fintech landscape.
Educational Insights: Building Data, Engineering, and Diversity in Fintech
1. Establishing Leadership Capability with a Focus on Diversity
- VP of Data Science (Diversity Role): To lead and guide the bank’s data-driven strategies
- Two Scrum Masters for Data Teams: To ensure agile and effective project delivery
The Role of Data Leadership and Diversity in Fintech: In digital banking, appointing a VP of Data Science is essential for transforming data into actionable insights and guiding the overall data strategy. The client specifically sought diverse candidates for this role to foster inclusive decision-making and ensure that leadership reflected a range of perspectives. This VP would not only lead data-driven initiatives but also contribute to a more inclusive organizational culture.
The two Scrum Masters also played critical roles in implementing agile methodologies across data teams, ensuring timely project delivery. While the focus was primarily on project management, diversity was an important consideration in the recruitment process to encourage collaborative leadership styles and enhance team dynamics.
Leadership in fintech needs to be both strategically sound and diverse. Teksands’ ability to source top-tier, diverse leadership talent ensured the client had the expertise and inclusivity needed to lead their data initiatives effectively while advancing their diversity goals.
2. Comprehensive Team Building: Data Science, Engineering, and Diversity Focus
- Data Science and Analytics Team (Diversity Roles): Over 10 Senior Data Scientists and 10+ Senior Predictive Analytics Engineers, several of which were women
- Payments Division: A high-performing React-Node full-stack engineering team
The Importance of Specialized and Diverse Talent in Digital Banking: The client recognized that having a diverse data science team is essential for analyzing customer data and improving risk management while bringing different perspectives to the table. Teksands strategically recruited women data scientists and professionals from underrepresented groups to ensure that the data team reflected a broad spectrum of experiences and insights, contributing to innovation and better problem-solving.
In the Payments Division, Teksands assembled a full-stack engineering team specializing in React-Node. Diversity was again a key consideration, as the client wanted to ensure that their engineering teams were diverse in gender, background, and experience, enabling the division to approach product development with a more inclusive mindset, driving both performance and customer-centric innovation.
In fintech, building a strong, diverse data and engineering workforce is essential for both innovation and inclusion. By partnering with Teksands, the client built a highly skilled and diverse Data Science team and a world-class engineering division to drive their digital transformation while advancing their commitment to diversity.
3. Overcoming Talent Market Challenges with a Focus on Diversity
Challenges of Recruiting Diverse Talent in Fintech: The fintech sector is highly competitive, particularly when it comes to sourcing diverse talent in data science, analytics, and engineering. Organizations need to move quickly to secure the right professionals while ensuring they meet diversity targets. The bank faced additional challenges in hiring talent with advanced technical skills, particularly in data science and engineering, where there is significant competition for top talent.
Teksands Value Addition: Teksands' deep understanding of the fintech market and expertise in diversity recruitment allowed the client to meet both its technical and diversity hiring goals. By rapidly recruiting top-tier professionals from diverse backgrounds, Teksands helped the client overcome the challenge of finding specialized talent while advancing their inclusion agenda. This recruitment strategy ensured that the bank had access to qualified diverse talent, positioning them for long-term growth and market leadership.
In competitive industries like fintech, it’s essential to leverage a targeted recruitment process that focuses on securing diverse talent. Teksands’ swift and efficient approach enabled the bank to secure the talent they needed for data-driven innovation while building an inclusive workforce that reflects the company’s values and customer base.
Teksands Value Addition Summary
- Diverse Leadership Placements: Teksands placed a woman VP of Data Science and two diverse Scrum Masters, ensuring the client had strategic leadership while meeting their diversity hiring goals.
- Scaling Data Science and Analytics Teams: Teksands assembled a diverse team of over 10 senior data scientists and 10+ predictive analytics engineers, enhancing the client’s analytical capabilities.
- Building a High-Performing Payments Division: The creation of a full-stack engineering team in React-Node allowed the client to optimize their payment systems and drive innovation.
